ChangeYourStrings

Misha Mansoor's guitar strings: the Periphery djent rig, sourced

Documented string gauges, brands, and tunings Misha Mansoor uses with Periphery on his Jackson Juggernaut signature. With citations.

Periphery · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·

Misha Mansoor plays Jackson Juggernaut HT7 signature 7-string guitars with 25.5-inch scale, typically strung with 7-string sets in the .010–.059 or .010–.062 range for Drop G# / Drop A. Periphery's current tuning is 7-string Drop G# (G#-D#-G#-C#-F#-A#-D#). Mansoor co-founded GetGood Drums with Adam 'Nolly' Getgood and runs Horizon Devices. String brand affiliations have shifted across his career, specific current brand is uncited as of this page's review.

At a glance

Role

Guitarist

Active

2005–present

Based

Maryland, United States

Genres

Affiliations

Notable credits

  • Periphery, Periphery (2010)
  • Periphery, Periphery II: This Time It's Personal (2012)
  • Periphery, Juggernaut: Alpha + Juggernaut: Omega (2015)
  • Periphery, Periphery III: Select Difficulty (2016)
  • Periphery, Periphery IV: Hail Stan (2019)
  • Periphery, Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre (2023)
  • Bulb, multiple solo releases

Official media

What's on the guitar

Misha Mansoor's rig is built around his Jackson Juggernaut signature:

  • Guitars: Jackson Juggernaut HT7 (primary 7-string). 25.5-inch scale, ebony fretboard, stainless-steel frets, fixed bridge.
  • Strings: 7-string sets in .010–.059 or .010–.062 range. Current brand affiliation uncited as of this page's review.
  • Tuning: 7-string Drop G# (G#-D#-G#-C#-F#-A#-D#) on current material.
  • Pickups: Fishman Fluence Misha Mansoor signature, active humbuckers with voice switching between a vintage-PAF-inspired voice and a modern high-output voice.
  • Amps: Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III.
  • Signal chain: Horizon Devices Precision Drive in front of the Axe-Fx for rhythm passages.

Mansoor co-founded Periphery in 2005 and has been the band's primary songwriter and driving compositional force across the catalog. The band's self-titled debut (2010), Periphery II: This Time It's Personal (2012), Periphery III: Select Difficulty (2016), Periphery IV: Hail Stan (2019), and the Juggernaut trilogy (2015) constitute one of the defining djent catalogs.

Endorsed vs. verified use

Mansoor is a documented Jackson signature artist (Juggernaut HT7) and a documented Fishman Fluence signature artist. String brand affiliation is currently uncited on this page, his historical brand relationships have included D'Addario and Ernie Ball, but a current primary-source string-brand-and-gauge quote as of 2026-04-20 is not on file. The string discussion below is editorial analysis of what fits the rig, not an endorsement claim.

Why Drop G# at 25.5-inch scale

Periphery's choice to run Drop G# on 25.5-inch scale (rather than moving to baritone 7-strings at 26.5 or 27 inches) is a deliberate playability decision. The 25.5-inch scale keeps bend feel on the higher strings consistent with conventional 6-string setups, which matters for lead vocabulary. The heavier .062 low string compensates for the scale-length math and gives the low G# the tension it needs to articulate under picking attack.

Mark Holcomb's parallel rig (also 25.5-inch scale, .010–.062 Ernie Ball Cobalt 7-string) arrives at the same engineering solution from a different brand direction. The two Periphery guitarists' rigs constitute the reference point for modern djent rhythm tone.

Sources

  • Jackson Juggernaut HT7 product specifications. https://www.jacksonguitars.com/
  • Fishman Fluence Misha Mansoor signature pickup product page.
  • Periphery Premier Guitar Rig Rundown coverage.
  • Horizon Devices product lineup.

Re-dated on each Periphery album cycle or Jackson signature refresh.

If you want this rig

Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt 7-String (.010–.062) strings
Ernie Ball

Slinky Cobalt 7-String (.010–.062)

Price tier: $$

Why this one: Matches Mark Holcomb's documented Periphery gauge and sits in the gauge range Mansoor is publicly associated with. Cobalt wrap gives the defined low-string attack modern djent rhythm needs.

View on Amazon

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